Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Favorite Literary Characters

From Mystic. Thanks girl, I raelly went bonkers doing this tag. and whittling down to 10 was so hard.

D’Artganan
From Alexander Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. Swashbuckling hero. The angry young man. Full of good old fashioned adventure and chivalry, he was one of the first characters that made a lasting impression on me. I read the Three Musketeers (abridged) when I was in third standard and while I did not quite finish the book then (the whole Milady thing confused me so), D’Artganan made a lasting impression.

Mr. Darcy
I don’t know a single girl who did not read Pride and Prejudice and did not have a crush on Mr.Darcy growing up. Need I say more? Suffice to say, I married a Mr. Darcy of sorts.

Dagny Taggart
From Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. I think Dagny represents the dichotomy in all of us. A part of her feels that she can “fix” the system, a part of her wants to give abandon everything and run away.

Monsieur Poirot
Created by Agatha Christie, one cannot but adore the egg-headed Belgian with a waxed moustache, a keen eye, a sharp mind and love for pots of chocolate.

Jeeves
By P.G Wodehouse. How can you not love the smug, self assured valet (not butler) always pulling out his fumbling employer Bertie Wooster from the traps he constantly falls in? Jeeves is also a true renaissance man. He knows his history, literature, science, horse racing, weather, you name it.

Ford Prefect
From the Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy, Ford’s original name cannot be pronounced. Or rather can only be pronounced in the original Betelgeusian dialect. A modern, no rather a futuristic D’Artganan, he always knows what to do and never forgets to carry a towel and belives in the words written (in large reassuring letters) across his hitchhikers guide – Don’t Panic.

Little Prince
The protagonist of the eponymous book by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. The little prince lives on a little asteroid with three volcanoes. One day, bored, he sets out to explore the universe, going to six neighboring asteroids, meeting their inhabitants and finally visiting earth. Through the little prince, one goes on a journey within, returning to the simple profoundness of a child’s eye.

Jean Louise “Scout” Finch
Scout Finch impressed me very much when I read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ in middle school. As its main character and narrator, she is a tomboy, is mature for her age and is very clever. The best part about her is that she actually gets to see Arthur “Boo” Radley (the kids are terrified of this recluse) and even learns from him.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
A cult figure. Created by Richard Bach, he made his appearance in the eponymous book. A castout, he leaves his flock behind to learn everything about flying. He is rewarded in his zest when two older, spiritual gulls take him to a higher plane of learning where he learns to fly anywhere in the world in an instant by knowing “he has already arrived”.

K
This protagonist has no name. Only a character. From the book I admire the most, The Castle. Neither here not there, unsure of what to do, K embodies a metaphor. He arrives in a distant village as a stranger to do his job as a land surveyor. Throughout the book (which ends in a mid-sentence) he strives to contact the mystifying people of the castle, only to be offered a job of a school janitor instead.

Anyone else who feels interested, please take up this tag and share!

7 comments:

Mystic Margarita said...

Such a wonderful list, Dottie. As you said, whittling it down to 10 is so difficult! D'Artganan (and Edmond Dantes) are two of my favorite Dumas characters, too! And Poirot! And K, (along with Joseph K)! And I wonder how I forgot about Jonathan Livingston. See, I knew you'd have a list I would love! :) I haven't read the Little Prince - will do asap.

rayshma said...

me, me!! i will take it up. me louve this! :D

Savani said...

mystic: love Dumas. I ahd to leave out Don Qixote, another of my favorite character. You HAVE to read the little prince. You will finish reading it ain like 20 minutes. It's supposed to be a child's book, but its so awesome.

raysh: looking forward to see who your faves are!

Preethi said...

D’Artganan - great choice!! Jeeves is just wonderful... and I had/have that crush on Darcy too.. aa for Poirot and Ford Prefect, my favs too - perfect list... cant agree more!!

Usha said...

'I don’t know a single girl who did not read Pride and Prejudice and did not have a crush on Mr.Darcy growing up'
so true and same with jeeves and the little prince and atticus finch. To know(read) them is to love them.

rayshma said...

me done! :)
but i forgot to list rhett butler and calvin! :D

rm said...

why u didnt mention pride and prejudice???forgot or its not in list....
i am new to ur blog and liked ur style and content.